Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - High Fives All Around Mix

So yesterday when I left work, the temperature in Nashville was right at 80 degrees. This morning it was in the low 40's and tonight it is going to be near freezing. In other words, it is early spring in middle Tennessee and for some reason I'm talking about the weather...

Two album release shows tonight (both albums I have - and will be -featuring on E2TG), and fortunately they are timed out perfectly so I can make both. First up, is Mark Huff's release show for his new album Stars for Eyes. That show starts at six pm at The 5 Spot. Then, the release show for The High Cost of Living Strange the new album from Ben de la Cour. It kicks off at nine at The Basement. Chris Moyse and Becky Warren open that show.

We slide into the mid-week as we do almost every week with a "Wild Wednesday" shuffle. We have a pretty cool mixed bag of goodies for you today. Let's shuffle:

"Goin' to Heaven" by Randy Weeks

We start things off with a track from Sugarfinger (2006) by singer-songwriter Randy Weeks. Weeks was a member of the Lonesome Strangers when he was in Los Angeles. He also wrote "Can't Let Go" which Lucinda Williams covered on her classic alum Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album. Weeks moved to Austin in 2007.

"Old Tan Hat" by Steve Liddell

Next, we have a track from Oklahoma singer-songwriter Steve Liddell. This recording comes from the CD put out by Horton Records for the Oklahoma Room at Folk Alliance 2016. You may recall my oft told story of finding this CD at The 5 Spot right after Folk Alliance. Oklahoma has a ton of great songwriters going strong. I really dig this song.

"Loveland Frogman" by Fangs and Twang

Our last song to feature from High Fives All Around by Michigan band Fangs and Twang also happens to be the song that gave the album it's title (and the shuffle it's subtitle). This song is about a creature out of Ohio folklore - a humanoid, frog-like creature that was first reported in the mid 1950s. The most recent sighting I could find was from 2016 when two kids playing Pokemon Go! spotted a large frog that stood up and walked on its hind legs. In any event, this is a really great song from a really cool album.

"Sugar Pie" by Matt Tanner

Next, another track from Matt Tanner's self-titled album which was recently released.

"Something in the Water" by Pokey LaFarge

Next, we have the title track from the 2015 album by St. Louis based Pokey LaFarge. I added this song from a compilation put out by Rounder Records.

"Gradual Awakening" by Tom House

Next up, we have a song from the 2012 album Winding Down the Road by Nashville singer-songwriter Tom House. This album was produced by another E2TG favorite, Brock Zeman.

"Streetwise" by Justin and the Salty Dogs

Next, we have one from the E2TG archives. Justin and the Salty Dogs were featured band back in 2012 on E2TG when we used to have featured bands. They are based out of Chicago. They now go by Justin Howl and the Salty Dogs - and this song was included on a self-titled album that is listed as 2016.

"Indigent Blues" (Radio Friendly) by Wendy James

Wendy James is a English singer-songwriter who is best known as a member of Transvision Vamp. This song comes from her 2016 solo album The Price of the Ticket. I believe we featured the full version of the song on an earlier shuffle.

"Ain't the Madonna, Ain't Your Whore" by Ali Holder and the Raindoggs

And we close out the shuffle with another from the E2TG archives. Back in 2012, The Raindoggs were a featured band on E2TG. In 2011, they teamed up with singer-songwriter Ali Holder for an album called Red to Black. Holder more recently has released some solo albums and she passed through Nashville not too long ago for a show which I unfortunately missed.